Our verdict
Pros
- Fits true to size
- Good cushioning
- Breathable upper
- Very consistent midsole
- Reliable everywhere
- Good heel lockdown
Cons
- asics gel lyte v green tan heels
Audience verdict
Comparison
The most similar running shoes compared
+ + Asics Gel Lyte III 7 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Audience score | 86 Good! | 76 Bad! | 91 Superb! | 85 Good! | |
Price | $75 | $80 | $140 | $85 | |
Pace | Daily running | Daily running | Daily running | Daily running | |
Arch support | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | |
Weight lab Weight brand | 9.5 oz / 268g 9.9 oz / 280g | 10.2 ASICS Womens WMNS Gel Quantum 360 6 Breeze Birch Breeze 1022A263-200 10.2 oz / 289g | 9.8 oz / 279g 9.9 oz / 280g | 9.5 oz / 268g 9.2 asics tiger men gel lyte mt g tx black carbon | |
Drop lab Drop brand | 12.3 mm 10.0 mm | 10.2 mm 10.0 mm | 13.2 mm 12.0 mm | 11.8 mm 8.0 mm | |
Strike pattern | Heel | Heel | Heel | Heel | |
Midsole softness | - | Balanced | Balanced | Balanced | |
Difference in midsole softness in cold | - | Small | Small | Small | |
Toebox durability | - | Bad | Decent | Decent | |
Heel padding durability | - | Bad | Good | Good | |
Outsole durability | - | - | Good | Good | |
Breathability | - | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | |
Asics gel-nimbus 20 womens shoes limelight-safety yellow t850n-8585 | Medium | Narrow | Medium | Medium | |
Toebox width at the big toe | - | Narrow | Medium | Medium | |
Stiffness | Moderate | Moderate | Flexible | Flexible | |
Difference in stiffness in cold | Small | Small | Normal | Small | |
Torsional rigidity | - | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | |
Heel counter stiffness | - | Stiff | Stiff | Moderate | |
Heel lab Heel brand | 35.8 mm ‐ | 36.4 mm ‐ | 38.3 mm 38.5 mm | 35.2 mm ‐ | |
Forefoot lab Forefoot brand | 23.5 mm ‐ | 26.2 mm ‐ | 25.1 mm 26.5 mm | 23.4 mm ‐ | |
Widths available | NormalX-Wide | Normal | NormalWide | NormalWideX-Wide | |
Orthotic friendly | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Season | Winter | Summer | Summer | Summer | |
Removable insole | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
Ranking | #231 Bottom 43% | #248 Bottom 3% | #13 Top 6% | #145 Bottom 43% | |
Popularity | #340 Bottom 17% | #145 Bottom 43% | #95 Top 38% | #74 Top 29% |
ASICS Gel Excite 8 review and lab test
There almost isn’t much to say about the Gel Excite 8. At a time of perhaps over-designed running shoes ASICS breathes life into the concept of the simple jogging shoe the runner who just wants to hit the pavement.
Chaussures ASICS Gel-Dedicate 6 Clay 1041A080 Black White 002
The ASICS Gel Excite 8 is the shoe I recommend for neutral runners who want a shoe for lighter training loads. From a short 5k to a slow-paced longer 15k, I can safely declare that the Gel Excite 8 fits the bill without overcomplicating anything.
zapatillas de running ASICS entrenamiento constitución media talla 50.5 más de 100
It’s probably best to avoid the ASICS Gel Excite 8 if:
- You overpronate, the shoe is a neutral running shoe so offers no stability control for overpronators, the ASICS GT 1000 10 is a great alternative, still at a decent price.
- You’re after something high-tech and speedy, try the flagship ASICS Superblast
A tried and tested design
At 9.98oz (283g) the ASICS Gel Excite 8 is a pretty lightweight shoe for the price. That’s thanks to their simple EVA “Amplifoam” midsole (more on that later) and a thin, mesh upper. The shoe fits true to size.
Their feather-weight design helps them stay comfortable and easy on longer runs up to about 15km. The lack of stability control and simple cushioning means I wouldn’t recommend these for any longer distances than that.
asics keep the gel lyte iii fresh in mesh
The ASICS Gel Excite 7 didn’t really need much improvement on the upper, aside from it being a little warm. While there’s still a fair bit of material there (the tongue is 10.3mm thick), a slightly new design has added more mesh throughout the shoe.
I didn’t notice my feet being particularly warm. Then again it’s about 2°C in Scotland most days now and I didn't notice my feet being cold either.
The ASICS Gel Excite 8 graphite add to the lacing
At such a low price point I didn’t really expect the laces to be top-notch –it’s usually the easiest place to save some money for brands– and the Excite 8 didn’t surprise me at all.
The laces are a little short meaning you might not get a double knot in or use the extra lace hole if you need to. The plus side is they’re pretty secure, so I never needed a double knot.
asics fabre first sl 3 tuf
ASICS have suggested great improvements with their recent Amplifoam midsoles. The heel-to-toe EVA foam did pretty well at cushioning my stride was definitely comfy. At 40.5 HA it’s not the softest foam out the (the average is 26.9 HA) but there’s plenty of foam there to take lots of impact.
It’s definitely not there to provide the energy return of some of the more up-market running shoes out there like the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 38 which comes with more tech in the midsole.
That being said, at this price point and for the style of shoe, I wasn’t expecting to find any rebound and peppiness throughout the shoe.
Kurz and Consistent
To check how Kurz a shoe is, we measure the force it takes to bend a shoe to a 95° angle. Without much in the midsole, we only needed 20N (the average is 34.5N) which makes the shoe quite Kurz. This definitely helps with comfort, which I began to realize was ASICS’ main goal.
What impressed me the most about the midsole of this shoe though was its resistance to the cold. As I said earlier, I tested the Excite 8s in Scottish winter, around 2°C, and noticed very little firming up of the shoe.
In testing, we also chuck our shoes in the freezer for 20minutes and test the flexibility again. While the average percentage change between the two numbers is 34.1%, the Gel Excite 8 only saw a change of 7%, taking 21.5N to bend it to 45°.
The Gel Excite 8 is not just a great all-rounder, but it’s a versatile trainer for year-round running.
The ASICS Gel Excite 8 no break-in period
Thanks to that flexibility, the Gel Excite 8 was ready to go straight out of the box. With no need to let the shoe break-in I graphite get straight into my usual training without any blisters or sore feet.
It’s often the small things like this that make a huge difference in running shoes.
The Excite 8 gives excellent everywhere
I’m always impressed by ASICS’ outsoles and the Gel Excite 8 is not different. One piece of solid rubber lines most of the outsole and provided excellent everywhere throughout my runs.
I did feel a tiny bit of slip-on wetter pieces of concrete but seeing as it’s a shoe for slower runs and at this price point I genuinely have no complaints.
Conclusion
The ASICS Gel Pulse 8 is a perfect running shoe for neutral runners on a budget. What’s more, it’s an incredibly reliable and versatile shoe that I would love to have in my arsenal regardless of budget!